It’s nice to see the display still going strong for a few more days after Christmas. I’ve always liked continuing past Christmas Day until the New Year’s holiday has passed before taking down Christmas decorations and getting set for another eleven months of waiting. If you need one mroe little shot of Christmas cheer, don’t hesitate to take it all in before the displays get stowed away!
One thing I first realized when I became a Christian is that there’s way more to the Christmas story than I’d ever known. Jesus didn’t suddenly spring up and change the way God dealt with man forever; his birth was foretold. Around the time of his conception, you didn’t have to explain to an Israelite who the Messiah was. He was foretold by the prophets. His lineage was known and predicted, as well as his birthplace of Bethlehem. They were literally waiting for him to arrive. Check out Isaiah 53 and you’ll see how important Christ’s arrival is, and what was foretold.
Another thing I realized is that we Gentiles are not God’s chosen people; Israel is. We, however, through the faith in Jesus that his nation didn’t have, are grafted in. In both the old and new testaments, Jesus is referred to as a light to the Gentiles. As Paul points out in Romans, the grace God shows the Gentiles is intended to provoke Israel to jealousy. He made a covenant with them that he will not break, and his wish is that they’d come around.
The Christmas story as told in Luke is simply beautiful. I love to try to picture that starry night (because I’m a starry night kind of guy) and the magnitude of the events that unfolded around Jesus’ birth. People were waiting for his birth. This night was prophecy fulfilled, the opportunity for God’s chosen people to be redeemed. Later on, because he wasn’t the type of Messiah they wanted, they rejected him. When Stephen was stoned in Acts chapter 7, he saw Jesus standing at the right hand of God. He was ready to redeem his people, but again they rejected him and killed the messenger, Stephen. Thus we are now in the church age, the time of the Gentiles.
Christmas 2010 has been such a blessing. For one month between November and December we had two three-year-old boys. We’ve got a White Christmas, and PJ loves to help Daddy shovel snow. My wife and I, although busy beyond belief, occasionally get time to stop and remark how thankful we are for the blessings we’ve been given. The Lord gave me an amazing woman, and gave us the two most precious little boys ever.
We’ve got plans to just stick close to home and enjoy our precious little family this year. Our property is blanketed by a thick blanket of nice white snow, our little boys are finally old enough to partake fully in Christmas festivities, and the Lord has continued to show himself faithful (even when I’m not) throughout another year. I hope your Christmas is as memorable as mine. If you’ve got anything you’d like to share about your Christmas, please enter it as a comment. Merry Christmas!
They’ve never seen Star Wars, but that doesn’t mean my boys didn’t think that the Stormtrooper was cool. They were quite impressed, and enjoyed the sight as much as I. I forgot to ask that nagging question in the back of my mind, though: just what is an Aluminum Falcon?
I’ve recently started a Google Map of my favorite Christmas displays in order to share them with anyone else who loves taking ’em all in. Enjoy, and check back for updates.
If you know of a display that you feel should be on this map, send me the location either with a comment on this post or by using the “Contact Me” link on the upper right of this page.
If you are reading this on one of the website that syndicates my blog, you’re going to have to come directly to bismarck-mandan.com to do it.
Merry Christmas!
I don’t think I ever photographed the Anderson building on west Main Avenue when it was decorated, but I’ve come to expect the Christmas decorates to be lit around the top of the building. Tonight it was dark.
While driving around with my best friend tonight we were pondering that the number of decorated homes has declined steadily each Christmas. On a limo ride earlier this week I noticed that we really didn’t have many Christmas lights to see, other than at Sertoma Park and the Northview area. Hopefully this trend reverses.
As we prepare to celebrate Jesus’ birth, don’t let the lack of lights get you down…I sure won’t. Sure, it’s fun to get into the spirit of the season by means of festive decorations, but they pale next to the true meaning of Christmas.
The ceremony was grand, with a brass quartet from the Bismarck-Mandan Symphony playing as well as pianist Joel Gilbertson and a brief performance by Dakota Stage. My favorite part was that the entire assembly sang Silent Night and God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen, two songs that are very clear in mentioning the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.
Okay, folks…we’re in full swing. We have approximately two and a half weeks of Christmas season remaining. Let’s enjoy this time to its fullest and cherish our Christmas memories!
Make sure you check out the capitol building this holiday season! Driving by after dark will not only give you a glimpse of the Christmas trees in the north and south faces’ windows, but the Christmas tree in the Great Hall will be lit and visible through the enormous windows facing the Capitol mall.
Merry Christmas!
I love the Christmas season, even more so now that I’m Daddy. Enjoy it, folks…it’s going to be gone before we know it.
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